Why Do you Require Patent Drawings in Your Patent Application?

It happens a lot with new inventors that they do not understand the importance of patent drawing in their patent application. If you know anything about patent applications, you already understand that you can not send the application for a utility or design patent without drawings. But that is not the only scenario where you require patent drawings. People who have spent some time working in the IP industry and the IP docketing experts already know that drawing is necessary for almost every application. It is not a written rule to include a drawing for all applications, but it plays a crucial role in your patent application. No need to get confused; you will understand everything by the end of this article. 

Although there are various types of patent applications, we will be discussing them in three different sets to understand the importance of patent drawings. You can get more ideas on patent drawing rules by downloading the patent drawing rulebook eBooks on our website for free. 

Design Patents

Design patents rank at the top when you rank them based on the necessity of patent drawings. That doesn’t make sense that you get a design patent without showing the actual design, does it? The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) suggests that the drawing is the most vital element for a design patent. You can not afford any mistake when it comes to the drawing for a design patent, as the patent will be approved based on the drawing. Most countries around the world have similar rules when it comes to patent drawings except for some small changes. 

We suggest going with professional and trained patent drawing experts in this case who understand the requirement of the patent office very well. It will surely cost you some amount upfront but will save a lot of hassle in the long run. The design patents need drawing for all the surfaces of your invention in the case of a three-dimensional object. The rules for the USPTO for patent drawings are much stricter compared to most other countries around the globe. That is why it needs even extra expertise while making the patent drawing for patent filing in the United States. 

The rules by the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) are followed in most other countries as the treaty is valid in 142 nations around the world. The PCT also has similar rules, and you must submit the patent drawing in case of a design patent. In most countries, you can even use black and white line art to make the patent drawings that are enough to present the visual representation of your invention. You can also support photographs for the application that shows the complete design of your invention. All the drawings submitted must follow the rules stated under the Patent Cooperation Treaty. You can find the rulebook for the same on our website in the form of an eBook.

Utility Patent

You must follow the guidelines set by the USPTO for submitting the drawings for a Utility patent application. And did not we tell you that utility drawings are compulsory in case of a utility patent application? One more thing that is compulsory is that the drawings must follow the rules set for the utility drawing by the USPTO in case of filing in the United States. The same implies to any other country, but rules change depending on the requirement for the specific country or the PCT. In the case of European nations, you can follow the patent drawing rules by the EPO. 

You need to represent all the aspects of your invention through the various field of view using the patent drawings. It will help the examiner better understand your patent application. The role of the patent drawing expert increases based on the complexity of the invention. The job of your patent drawing expert is to make it as easy as possible for the examiner using a detailed drawing of every aspect of the invention. 

Other Patent Applications

Even in the case where patent drawing is not required as stated in the rules by the patent offices, the drawing plays a critical role in your application. The examiners at the patent office expect you to submit drawings so that they get a clear idea of your invention. The patent drawing makes the whole process much easier for you as well. When you give a visual representation of your invention that shows every aspect of it, no one can even dare to copy your patent. If you do not consider it important, you always have various stories on patent and copyright disputes all around the globe that are still unresolved. Do not forget that a picture is worth a thousand words.